Display box



T. B. EPPs DISPLAY BOX j Aug. 3,1948.

Filed May 29, 1944 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 3, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY BOX Thomas Byrd Epps, Boston, Mass. Application May29, 1944, Serial No. 537,851

1 Claim. l

This invention relates to combined display and storage boxes or receptacles oi that class comprising two box sections which can be adjusted relatively into open or closed relationship, and it has for its object to `provide an improved box of the class referred to which will present an attractive appearance and display its contents to good advantage when opened.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved display and storage box for shoes.

To these ends I have provided an improved display and storage box of the class referred to which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, may be constructed as hereinafter set forth, the several novel features of the invention being separately pointed out and defined in the claim at the close of the following description. It is to be understood, however, that the illustrated embodiment of the invention is to be taken as a preferred example of the latter and that various changes may be resorted to without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view oi a combined f display and storage box constructed in accordance with my invention, the same being shown in open condition.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, on reduced scale, of the box shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is an end elevation o the box shown in Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the box in open condition.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the box shown in Fig. 4.

Figure 6 is a sectional detail on line I-B of Fig. 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional detail showing the relationship of the parts of Fig. 6 when the box is closed.

The illustrated embodiment of my invention comprises two box sections ill and II whose chimes are fitted together as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 7 to provide a closed receptacle, or separated as shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 6 in order to display and render accessible the contents of the box. The two box sections may, as shown, be of identical size and shape, each comprising an oblong rectangular bottom wall I2; a perpendicular relatively low end wall I3 at one end of said bottom wall; a perpendicular relatively high end wall I4 at the opposite end of said bottom wall, and two perpendicular oppositely disposed side walls I5 and I6 at the opposite sides of the bottom wall I2.

(Cl. 20G-45.11)

Each side wall I5 and I6 is of trapezoidal shape since it presents a plane iigure defined by four straight lines having two oppositely disposed parallel sides and two oppositely disposed relatively oblique sides. Also, these four side walls are isoperimetrcal since they are all of one size and shape except as to thickness. The larger ends of the two side walls of each box section are of the same height as the relatively high end wall I4 thereof with which they connect, while the smaller ends of said two side walls are of the same height as the relatively low end wall I3 of said section with which they connect.

The two box sections I0 and I' I are assembled with their chimes abutting (Figs. 2 and 7) and a sheet of flexible fabric I'I is then cemented in place upon the outer faces of side walls I6, said sheet being of the same size and shape as that of the two combined side walls. Then two stiff reinforcing panels I8, I8 of oblong rectangular shapes are cemented in place upon the fabric Il after which a longitudinally disposed narrow flexible fabric strip I9 is cemented in place upon the proximate marginal portions of the stiff panels I8 so that it overlies the longitudinal joint between said marginal portions. This construction permanently and directly connects the two side walls I6 by means of a single straight longitudinal hinge structure that is indicated generally at 2li in Figs. 2 and 6, and whose two wings I1-I8 (Fig. 6) rein-force and strengthen the two side walls I6, I6, said hinge 20 being parallel with the 'bottom walls l2, I2 of the box sections and midway between said walls when the box is closed and viewed in side elevation as shown in Fig. 2.

It will therefore be clear that when the box is closed as in Figs. 2 and 3 and pla-ced in position upon a table or other support (not shown) and the uppermost section is swung sidewise and downwardly to the limit of its movement in that direction on hinge 20 as indicated by the arrow and dotted lines in Fig. 3, then the two bottom walls will be parallel and occupy one plane and both will rest atwise upon the table or other support while held against bodily movement toward and from each other by the single hinge 20. Fig. 4 shows the box in side elevation and Fig. 5 in plan after it has been thus opened.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings is particularly adapted to be used to hold and display a pair of shoes as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l. As there shown one shoe of the pair is placed within one box section with its heel end disposed adjacent to or against the higher end wall I4 thereof and its toe end spaced away somewhat from the lower end wall I3, and with the other shoe likewise placed within the other section. When the box is closed with the shoes disposed therein as described the two shoes intermesh, so to speak, thus economizing in space and permitting the height of the interior of the box to be limited to approximately the height of one of the shoes since the space provided opposite the toe end of each shoe receives the topY portion of the heel. end of the other shoe.

When the box section Il is swung sidewise on and over the hinge 20 (Fig. 1) its chime registers with and sea-ts upon the chime of the box section Ill completely inclosing the contents of the box which may then be tied in its closed condition by.

means of a pair of ribbons or strands 2i. One of these two strands has one end thereof threaded through a slot 22 formed in Wall i5 of section Il and cemented to the inner side of said wall, while one end of the other strand 2| is likewise threaded through a slot 22 formed in wall I5 of section I0 and cemented to the inner side of said wall. It will be clear that after closing the box the two strands may be wrapped in opposite directions around the latter and tied together to secure the box in its closed conditio Y Each -box section i0 and H is preferably'formed atl its top (Fig. 1) with a wall-stiiening and ornamental inwardly projecting flange 23 which is a desirable feature when the sections are made from more or less flexible cardboard and the box is to be used for display purposes.

What I claim is:

An elongated rectangular box comprising upper and lower sections hingedly connected together CIK `dicular oppositely disposed end walls of different heights, and two perpendicular oppositely disposed side walls whose tops are straight and slant downwardly from the top of the higher end wall to the top of the lower end wall, the higher end wallof each vsection being disposed alongside of the lower end wall of the other section in open position.

THOMAS BYRD EPPS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 258,720 Dickson May 30, 1882 304,914 Dickson Sept, 9, 1884 883,906 Swan Apr. 7, 1908 1,065,922 Cutler July 1, 1913 1,764,251 Farago June 17, 1930 1,867,347 Blair July 12, 1932 2,089,440 Sloan Aug. 10, 1937 

